The Last Time - Original Writing

The last time I saw my grandmother was around 3 or 4 years ago. I remember when it first became clear to me that she had a “problem”. I was on a cruise alone with her, and we were leaving the elevator to walk back to our room, and my grandmother walked into the wrong room. She insisted on leaving the elevator on a floor that our room wasn’t on. I didn’t know what to do, and I had no idea how to stop her. This moment is still devilishly vivid in my mind, and this “problem” that she had I soon discovered was Alzheimer’s. She was immediately put into nursing home in Florida, with the help of my uncle. Having her live 1,500 miles away from my mother and I has caused a huge strain on our once unbreakable relationship, and leaves me pondering her well being daily.

I had only ever heard of this disease one time, when a family friend died of the disease a few years back. I knew that it would cause my grandma to forget lots of things, big or small. And I knew eventually she would forget me. However was too young to fully understand it, and little did I know it would be a devastating statement I would hear about just a few years later.

This disease has perked my interest ever since the day I heard the name of it, and I’ve always wanted to know what it really is. I constructed the research question: What causes Alzheimer’s, why does it occur and is it genetic (can I get it)? And eventually, I found answers to the question: Alzheimer’s occurs commonly among elders within